The present invention relates to a novel device and method for delivering medication to an eye which is particularly useful for transporting finely divided solid medication to an eye.
In the past, medications have been delivered to the eye in liquid form by the use of an eye dropper. The typical eye dropper delivers approximately 50 microliters in each drop. Unfortunately, the typical human eye can only tolerate 25 to 35 microliters of fluid in the tear film which lies against the cornea of the eye. In addition, aqueous medications must be dissolved is a solvent, and buffered to the proper pH range to avoid injury to the eye. In addition, preservatives must be added to the liquid medication to prevent deterioration of the same before delivery to the eye.
The delivery of medication in a finely divided form would eliminate the extensive preparation of the medication in liquid form and would be a great advance in the art of opthalmic treatment.